But what really struck me was that just over half of the adults in Canada (51 per cent) read a newspaper everyday and spent about 47 minutes doing it (Editor & Publisher). This isn’t surprising given the number of English-language dailies we have in Toronto alone (six – including the free subway papers).

However, I did notice that readership of Metro and 24 Hours was flatlining and I came up with an idea for them to increase readership and be a bit more sustainable at the same time.

First some background: Every morning on my way to work, I notice that the subway recycling bins are overflowing with copies of the free dailies, read once and put to rest.

Yet, if you happen to find yourself in the subway after say 11 am and are looking for something to read, you can’t find a free daily anywhere.

So why doesn’t the TTC encourage people to recycle the papers in special ‘spread the news’ containers that could be placed in subways, streetcars and buses?

Readership per issue would probably go up (though it might be hard to measure this), less copies could be printed (saving paper and other resources), and people could stay in the know morning, noon and night.

Also (from reading the book), the blog is going to become a little more focused (hence the subtitle) but hopefully somewhat looser too: less columnistic and more just plain me.

If you haven’t read Naked Conversations and are interested in blogging, I’d suggest you pick up a copy. It’s an invaluable reference, both eye opening and slightly maddening. I loved reading about all the inter-connections and linky-ness (Tip #9), but wasn’t as crazy about the vigilante-esque aspects of citizens on a rampage. That reminded me of the group with the ice cream truck and flyers chasing after Griffin Dunne’s character in Martin Scorcese’sAfter Hours. Funny to watch. Not so funny if you’re the one being cornered and they won’t let you tell your side of the story.

Today on my way to work, I noticed the large windows on the King Street entrance of Metro Centre were completely frosted over. It looked spectacular. But it did remind me of what happens to my glasses when I come indoors from extreme cold. (The temperature was -22C.)

I have a theory about this winter. I think somehow the calendar got pushed forward a month: so January should have been December, February-January, March-February and so on. I have absolutely no scientific data to prove this. It’s just a gut feeling. But the weather is backing me up.

That said, it’s nearly March break and I’m heading off on vacation tonight. So I won’t be blogging for a while.